Book Bite Reviews: January 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

BBReview: "Dash & Lily's Book of Dares" By Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Publishing Date: October 26th, 2010
Page Count: 260
Source: Requested from NetGalley
Format: E-Book

Description from Goodreads.com:
"I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please."

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Review:
I dont really know what exactly I was expecting from Dash & Lily's Book of Dares but whatever those expectations were, they were met. This is just such a geat contemporary. I really loved that it was winter themed and took place in New York. New York is one of my favorite places and it just made it fitting to read a winter book duing the winter. I absolutely loved the concept of them running around town and corresponding to each other only in the notebook. It is such a romantic idea to find a notebook on a bookstore shelf and find your perfect match. I also really liked that the story was told from both Dash and Lily's point of view. I love it when there is more than one person narrating. It makes me feel like I know more about the story.

I feel like the characters were very well done. Each character definitely had their own flair and personality. I really loved Dash's friend Boomer. He was just such a unique character who walked to the beat of his own drum. He was so hilaious and innocent, i just loved him. I think Dash was the perfect guy. He may have been a little different and maybe a tad douchy sometimes, but he was overall a real gentleman and wasn't afaid to put himself out there. Lily wasn't my favorite character. She was just a little too immature for me. I think she was hilarious and I really liked her towards the end of the book once she started sticking up for herself, but in the beginning I just couldn't relate to her. I loved her spunkness, though. She was such an oddball and was hilarious when she would do some of the crazy things Dash made her do.

I was honestly rooting for Dash and Lily to work out the entire time. They really are a great match for each other and it was so nerve racking to see if things were going to work out for them or not. This is the part where the book lost a star from me. The entire story was really great with all of this built up tension for Dash and Lily to finally meet each other and then in the end it just all kind of seemed to fall flat. I don't really know how the ending could have been better, though. I feel like maybe this subject of people only talking via the written word is too tough of a subject to have one of those really great endings. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story.

Overall:
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares was a very nice story. It is such a romantic idea to think you could meet someone through a secret journal at a bookstore. It really makes you want to go around and look for your own red notebook. I loved that it was told in both Dash and Lily's point of views and that most of the book was them running around town to figure out each other's clues. I didn't connect with Lily's charaacter very much in the beginning because of how innocent she was, but by the end I really loved her character. I think all the characters were great. I felt like the ending wasn't perfect, but overall it was a really great story with a very sweet and light plot.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 4/5

**The books cover, description, and info was all found and borowed from Goodreads.com. A link back to it's Goodreads site has been provided. All other work and ideas are of my own creation. This novel was sent to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchannge for an honest review.**

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

{Special Edition Cover Reveal & Guest Post} "While He Was Away" By Karen Schreck

I am very excited to bring you guys a special edition cover reveal. It is the new Walmart-Exclusive black and white cover edition for While He Was Away by Karen Schreck.

Enjoy!

One year--he'll be gone for one year and then we'll be together again and everything will be back to the way it should be.

The day David left, I felt like my heart was breaking. Sure, any long-distance relationship is tough, but David was going to war--to fight, to protect, to put his life in danger. We can through this, though. We'll talk, we'll email, we won't let anything come between us.

I can be an army girlfriend for one year. But will my sweet, soulful, funny David be the same person when he comes home? Will I? And what if he doesn't come home at all?...

---

My Opinion:

I really like this cover. I will admit that I think the original version is very pretty and much more genre appropriate. I am not saying that this cover is in any way inappropriate for YA, but it kind of makes you think the story will be more Adult or New Adult. It may actually be more New Adult since it is covering the military which means the characters must be at least eighteen, so it may be one of those inbetweener genres. I also really like that they didn't show all of the cover models faces so that they can still be left up to the readers imagination. Overall, great cover.

---

While He Was Away Walmart-Exclusive Cover Reveal

and How Inspiration Can Come From Anywhere:

Even a Trip to the Grocery Store and a Handful of Long-Lost Photographs

By Karen Schreck

I sometimes wonder what my mother would say if she knew that her story -- one of the saddest, sweetest love stories I've ever heard -- was retold in a new way in my young adult novel, While He Was Away.

Now Sourcebooks Fire is sharing the story yet again, in a second, exclusive edition, released nation-wide at Walmart. The fact that Sourcebooks believed enough in While He Was Away to bring it to life the first time felt like a much needed confirmation of years of hard work. The fact that they are standing behind my book again in this way... well, it feels like a miracle. I'm truly grateful.

I wonder what my mother would say to this incredible news? I like to think she would be grateful too. I like to think she would be happy. She wanted her story heard after all. So much so that it was one of the last things she told me, just before she died.

One rainy night when I was fourteen, right before cancer left her too ill to talk, let alone drive a car, my mother said, "Come with me. We're going shopping." We drove to the little local market and wandered up and down the aisles, as she threw in a can of tuna, some dishwashing soap, and other little things we didn't need. We paid for these little things. She looked anxious and tired, still she hadn't said a thing; we hadn't spoken a word.

It was only when we were parked in our driveway again that my mother said, "I was married once before when I was very young. He died a hero in WWII."

And that was that. Soon after, she died.

I thought about my mother's mysterious love story for many year. I talked to relatives, found long-lost photographs. The story took seed in me. It flowered into a novel about a young woman whose boyfriend leaves for the Iraq War. In her loneliness, she seeks out a grandmother she's never met, whose first husband died in WWII. She seeks out a character inspired by my mother.

A late night drive, a few words spoken in the dark. Even things as simple as this can inspire a novel.

Monday, January 28, 2013

{Guest Post/Excerpt} Reaper Blog Tour: "Reaper" By L.S. Murphy

Dealing with the Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly

Reviews. They can make you leap for joy like Sally Field or make you curl up in a dark corner to cry in misery. They can make you show everyone how much that person like your book or wish for the ability to hack into Goodreads to erase it.

They can… Well, you get the point.

Dealing with good reviews is easy. You celebrate.

Dealing with bad and downright ugly, not so easy sometimes.

Or is it?

Actually, it is easy. How, you ask? I suppose it’s time to share my little secret in dealing with the bad and ugly. It’s a two-step process.

First, do I read the bad reviews?

Yep. If someone took the time to read my work, I’ll take the time to read their review. And if they think my book sucks, that’s okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If we were, life would be boring and we would be living inside the world of Harrison Bergeron. Nobody wants that.

Step two: It’s a mantra.

I repeat the titles of famous and award winning books that I didn’t enjoy. Does that denote their worth in the literary world? Nope, just means that it wasn’t my thing. Reminding myself of these books, well, it makes it so much easier to remember that not everyone is going to like what I write either.

It’s that simple. For me anyway. It may not be that easy for other writers, but this works for me. I value other people’s opinions. I like to hear what they have to say, even if it is negative. As the old TV theme song goes, “you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have The Facts of Life.”

---

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She's supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn't take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she's reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who's returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaing her coveted popularity status, Quincy's goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe... just maybe ... that's okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn't just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy's priorities -- from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

---

Excerpt

A spitball stops in mid-air less than an inch from my nose.

It hangs there. I assume everyone else notices the wet wad of paper too, but when I turn to my bestie Jordan, her mouth is stuck open with her eyes half closed.

She was just laughing. Now she’s ... frozen?

The sudden silence is louder than a room full of gossiping teenagers.

Mini-quakes creep up my spine like a centipede hurrying toward my hair.

I’m not entirely sure my heart is beating. I wave my shaking hand in front of Jordan, hoping this will break her free of whatever happened.

No reaction.

Why am I moving?

So many times, I wished Jordan would stop talking. Now is the one time I need her high-pitched voice to pierce my ears.

Quin, relax. It’s okay. No way this is real. I pinch my arm hard, but it doesn’t change anything.

A loud pop makes me spin around in my seat. A man stands in front of the chalkboard in a bluish-white robe staring at me through blizzard white eyes. He holds a staff in front of him that looks like melting glass.

“Hello, Quincy,” he says in a deep velvet voice. “How would you like to see your future?”

I stand and stumble toward the back of the room. “Who are you supposed to be? Gandalf?” I’m unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.

“One person dresses up like me in a movie, and that’s all I hear.” He leans back on Mr. Spragg’s desk. “I’m far more attractive than him and so much more fun.” He winks and lifts his robe, revealing a pair of yellow and red striped Bermuda shorts and orange flip-flops.

My eyes pop wider at the mismatched mess, but I keep my thoughts about his sense of fashion to myself. “Who are you?”

His sigh echoes off the walls. “I’m Destiny.”

“Who?”

Rolling his eyes, he raises the staff high to his left. Like a swordsman, he stabs and swooshes it down in an arch. The air ripples as a dark slit opens. A man in a deep brown pinstripe suit steps through. His cheap sneakers don’t match the formality of the tan fedora and horn-rimmed glasses.

A pony-sized white German shepherd saunters in behind him, and I take an automatic step back. The dog turns his head, black orbs where its eyes should be.

Pinstripe man glances my way before turning toward the person who calls himself Destiny. His features contort and a maroon tint creeps over his face.

“What the f—”

Destiny flips his finger and the new guy shuts up. After a moment, he does another finger move.

“We said when she was eighteen, Des.”

“I’m aware of that, Forsyth.”

“She’s not eighteen.”

“Really? I never would have guessed.” Sarcasm fills each word as Destiny raises his eyebrows like a flag on the Fourth of July.

Forsyth glares. “Then why am I here?”

“I let you pick the date, but I never agreed to honor it.” Destiny pats the dog on the head with sneer and wipes his hands on his robe. “Now is the time. Teach her.”

---

Author Bio

L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her husband and a menagerie of pets. “A Reason to Stay”, a contemporary romance novella, is available as of November 2, 2012. Reaper is her debut young adult novel and will be released on January 7th, 2013.

She is a co-rep for the Southern Illinois region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Publisher

Monday, January 14, 2013

BBReview: "A Donovan Circus Novel 1: Gifted" By Liz Long

Genre: Young Adult -Urban Fantasy
Publishing Date: April 18th, 2012
Page Count: 297
Source: Sent to me by the author
Format: E-Book

Description from Goodreads.com:
Even in a world of freaks, being a Firestarter is considered a dangerous Gift.

Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it's everything she hoped it could be--new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.

When troupe members begin turning up dead, however, Lucy is suspected of foul play. She must not only prove her innocence but also realize the full extent of her power. To find the real murderer she must uncover the truth behind her father's fiery legacy while figuring out whom to trust within her new circle. Little does she know the history of the Donovan Circus and it's enemies might actually destroy the entire gifted world.

Review:
WOW. WOW. WOW! I have never read a story about a circus before and I am so glad that Gifted was my first one. Any circus related story I read after this is going to have some high expectations to fill. This story was series amazing and I am so excited to continue on with this series. Liz Long is a seriously amazing author who can really get a person hooked on a story. There were so many times where I just didn't want to stop reading at all and had to keep going. This book right here is responsible for my new sleep schedule during my college holiday break, which consists of me not going to sleep until well past 7am, but I am absolutely thankful for it.

Each character that Liz gave us the pleasure of meeting was very unique and interesting. They all each had their own particular personality that didn't falter once through out the story and each had their own amazing unique Gift to share with us. I had so much fun getting to know all of the characters and learn about their awesome abilities. The circus has always intrigued me, and now this story just makes me want to find out if those "circus freaks" are all real and not fakes. Once you got to the end of the story you really felt like you had created a new group of friends with these characters. You could really feel the family bonds that they all now shared. I loved the love interests that Lucy picked up along her journey and I really can't wait to see who she is with in book 2.

And the whole story line was just fantastic! There wasn't a single thing about this novel that I did not like. It was utterly perfect. The entire time you just tried your hardest to try and figure out who the killer was and why they were doing it. It was such an amazing reading experience. I am at a loss for words for how much I absolutely adored this series. Im pretty sure I am at my limit of creative things to say, so to end I will just say that Liz, you did a fantastic job and I am 100% a fan and will continue to read this series to the end and will more than likely read anything else you ever write. Seriously people, you need to go out and get your hands on this story.

Overall:
One word... WOW! Gifted is an amazing story and I am so very extremely happy that I got the chance to read and review it. There is not a single thing I disliked about this book which makes any other circus related books I read in the future have some huge boots to fill. I was completely hooked to the story from page 1 and honestly didn't even think I was going to fall so in love with this series, but I did. Liz Long is an amazing writer and really has a gift. I will definitely be continuing with this series and will be looking out for more novels by her in the future.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5

**The book cover, description, and book info were all found on Goodreads.com. Links to the Goodreads page have been provided. All other works and ideas are of my own creation. This novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

BBReview: "Ivy Granger 1.5: Blood and Mistletoe" By E.J. Stevens

Genre: Adult - Paranormal
Publishing Date: November 20th, 2012
Source: Sent to me by the author
Format: E-Book

Description from Goodreads.com:
Holidays are worse than a full moon for making people crazy. In Harborsmouth, where many of the residents are undead vampires or monstrous fae, the combination may prove deadly.

Ivy Granger, psychic private investigator, returns to the streets of Harborsmouth in this addition to the bestselling urban fantasy series.

Holidays are Hell, a point driven home when a certain demon attorney returns with information regarding a series of bloody murders. Five Harborsmouth residents have been killed and every victim has one thing in common--they are fae. Whoever is killing faeries must be stopped, but they only leave one clue behind--a piece of mistletoe floating in a pool of the victim's blood.

The holidays just got interesting. Too bad this case may drive Ivy mad before the New Year. Heck, she'll be lucky to survive Christmas.

Blood and Mistletoe is an Ivy Granger series novella.

Review:
I absolutely love prequels. They are always a great addition to any series. Blood and Mistletoe was just that; a great addition. I really loved that it was Christmas/New Years themed, because it just made it feel more relevant.

I still love all of the characters that were first introduced in the first book, Shadow Sight. They all held up their same characteristics in this prequel. Even though Forneus is a demon from Hell I really do like his character and think that him and Jinx are perfect for each other. I really can't wait to see where their relationship goes. I love how cocky and flirtatious he is with her. As always Ivy was a fantastic main character who is always able to keep me chuckling and always kicking butt everywhere she goes. I love how much of a strong character she is.

I also loved how creepy everything felt due to the fact that it was holiday themed. Someone is killing faeries for their own grotesque tree decorations. I absolutely loved it, and that it was awesome and so fitting. I would have never even thought of an idea like that. It is so interesting to see how far E.J. Stevens' imagination goes. I really thought that this was an excellent little side story to the series that really just kept everything cohesive.

I cannot wait to see what book two will have in store for us and what evil thing Ivy will have to stop.

Overall:
I really enjoyed this prequel. It was a very nice addition to the Ivy Granger series. I loved how cohesive all of the characters personalities stayed and absolutely loved Ivy as always. I really do hope that something ends up forming between Jinx and Forneus, but who knows if Ivy will even let that happen. I think the story was extremely fitting especially for the season and I absolutely loved how grotesque it was. I cannot wait to see what book two has in store for us.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5

**The book cover, description, and book info was found on Goodreads.com. Links to that Goodreads page have been provided. All other works and ideas are of my own creation. This novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Monday, January 7, 2013

BBReview: "Red Ridge Pack 2: Circle of Lies" By Sara Dailey & Staci Weber

Genre: Young Adult -Paranormal/Romance
Publishing Date: December 20th, 2012
Page Count: 254
Source: Sent to me by Buroughs Publishing Group
Format: E-Book

Description from Boroughs Publishing Group:
Aiden Wright is trying to figure out who he really is, but the truth could cost him his true mate--or his life.

Life has always been easy for Aiden Wright. He's smart, athletic, funny, and the ladies adore him. But when tragedy strikes, Aiden discovers the truth about who he really is and his whole world comes crashing down around him. Aiden thought that being a teenage werewolf was going to be awesome, but it might just cost him the one girl who could make him whole.

Since her mother's disappearance, Teagan Rhodes's life had been littered with her father's empty beer cans and his hollow promises to change. Convinced that others would only let her down, she keeps everyone at arm's length--but resisting Aiden's charm is proving to be more difficult that she thought. Throw in a psychotic werewolf hunter out to terminate the species and one wrong move, one wrong decision could destroy everything.

Review:
I think it is awesome when series follow different characters. The Red Ridge Pack series does just that, it lets the reader explore different characters lives. Not only does The Red Ridge Pack series have alternating perspectives in each book, but each book also follows different characters. Circle of Lies picks up where Pack of Lies ended. It starts with Aiden waking up in the hospital after saving his little sister, Allison, from kidnappers where he learns some life altering secrets. Once out of the hospital he meets his sisters friend Teagan and falls head over heels for her, but Teagan is not so trusting so Aiden must convince her to take a chance on him.

I absolutely loved Aiden's character. I think he is an amazing guy who would do anything for the ones he loves. He isn't afraid to say how he feels and he definitely isn't afraid to stand up for what is right. Although I understand Teagan's initial trepidation towards Aiden I think she really needed to lighten up on him, because he is seriously the best boyfriend. I absolutely agreed with everything he did and was rooting for him through out the entire book. I think his character was formed very well and stayed cohesive through out the story. He never did anything out of character, except fall in love. I was very pleased to read his story, because I really liked his character from the first novel.

Teagan's character is mixed for me. Overall I like her, but I don't love her. I understand why she is so standoffish with Aiden, and I would definitely make him prove himself to me too if I was in her shoes, but towards the end of the novel Becca, a girl who wants to be Aiden, is extremely rude to Teagan and makes her second guess her relationship. I understand Teagan getting hurt by what Becca said, but I don't think she should have done what she did to Aiden. I was literally going insane with Aiden. Teagan is just too non-confident for me. I wish she would just stand up for what she believes is true, by which I mean the feelings between her and Aiden, and just be confident about it.

For obvious reasons I hated Peters character. I really like that the authors lets the reader get a glimpse into the bad guys life as well so that they can see what is happening before the characters know, but it is so creepy and unnerving. Every time I would get to a chapter told by Peter I just wanted to skip it and get back to Aiden and Teagan's lives. I didn't want to hear about bad things, because I didn't want bad things to happen at all, but at the same time knowing what Peter was planning really did add a bigger adrenaline pumping element to the story, because as the reader you just want to shout to Aiden and tell him what is going to happen.

In reference to the story line I think it was nicely done. Both Aiden and Teagan had a lot of issues going on in both of their lives to add to the story besides Peters hand in everything. They both had a lot of personal issues to get through in the novel which really added to the overall story. It wasn't just a love fest or just a tragic story. I think everything balanced. You had times when Aiden and Teagan were being adorable while together, and then turmoil when they were seperate, and then fighting together against Peter's wrath in the end. I also liked the set up of events. As soon as things were going great in Aiden and Teagans chapters it would switch to a Peter chapter where he talked about his awful plans. The novel definitely didn't try to trick you to think everything will be ok in the end. You really don't know how everything will end until you get to that last page. Looking back to the beginning of the novel I wouldn't have guessed exactly correct how Circle of Lies was going to end. I really enjoyed this novel and think it was a great addition to the series. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

Overall:
Circle of Lies is a great addition to the series. I absolutely loved that it followed Allison's brother, Aiden. I adore his character and loved reading every minute of his life. I didn't agree with everything that Teagan did, but I understood where she was coming from and forgave her by the end. I love that Staci and Sara have their novels set up to tell alternating perspectives through out the book. It gives the story so much more depth and gives the reader a better overall experience. I think the story line was awesome and definitely had multiple plots to follow from each character having their own personal drama to add to the story. Overall the story was very well told and I think the ending was fantastic. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead in this series and whose perspectives will be told next.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5

**The books cover, description, and book info was sent to me by the publisher. The cover photo has also been linked back to the books Goodreads page where I also obtained some information on the book. All other works and ideas are of my own creation. This novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

Saturday, January 5, 2013

{1/7-1/13} Bout of Books Read-A-Thon Goals/Updates

Time Devoted to Reading:

I would like to read every day of the Read-A-Thon. I would also like to read at least 5 hours every day.

My Goals:

~~I want to start reading at 12:01 (or as soon as possible) Monday morning.~~
I want to read 6 books
I want to participate in half of the challenges offered which would around 5 of them.
I would like to also participate in the Saturday night Twitter chat
Lastly, I would like to comment on all of the blogs goal posts that are linked up to the goal linky

Book I Will Be Trying to Read: